Present and Engaged! How CCPS Supports Attendance and Prevents Dropouts Artwork

Chesterfield County Public Schools Better Together

S'mores and campfires, macaroni and cheese, popcorn and movies...what do these things have in common? They are better together! In this podcast, Cat Tompkins of Chesterfield County Public Schools' Office of Family and Community Engagement has conversations with stakeholders on a variety of topics that directly impact education. The goal of this podcast is to strengthen the ties between home and school and schools and the community by sharing stories, challenges, and successes. Chesterfield students will have better outcomes when we take a collaborative approach to support learning. Schools, families, and the community are better together too.

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Chesterfield County Public Schools Better Together

Present and Engaged! How CCPS Supports Attendance and Prevents Dropouts

March 03, 2019 • Family and Community Engagement, Cat Tompkins

How many times a month is your child missing school? How many times a year? It is something to take note of because without you even realizing it those days can add up quick!

Did you know that missing just 2 days a month or 10% of the school year for any reason is defined as chronic absenteeism in Virginia? Chronic absenteeism can cause big gaps in learning at all levels and it is also a sign of drop out risk. Chesterfield County Public Schools has supports and resources in place to help parents and students with this problem.

In this edition of the Engage Chesterfield podcast, we will:

Note the consequences of chronic absenteeism
Learn ways to help start a positive pattern of attendance
Hear what Chesterfield has in place to promote and support attendance
Introduce you to Communities in Schools and the services that they provide Chesterfield students
Learn ways to become involved in helping Communities in Schools

The end goal of this podcast is to start the conversation making it easier for schools, teachers, and parents to talk about absences. Relationship building can help remove the barriers to attendance issues.

This edition's special guests are Lindsay Mottley, CCPS Principal, Amanda Simons, CCPS School Social Worker, and Ashley Hall and Jennifer Hilliard of Communities in Schools.